Last year...
1. Red Plains
I released the final book in The Forbidden List - The Red Plains - where all the little drips and drops of foreshadowing came to a culmination. There are, like all books, a lot of things still in my head that form the background of the book and characters that didn't make it in... maybe, one day, I'll go back and write up some short stories. In fact, I had an idea last night... hrm...
2. Nothing Is Ever Simple
Corin Hayes returned in Book 2. This isn't really a series. It is intended to be a set of episodes in his life. They do loosely follow on from one another but you don't have to read them in order (though with only two out so far it would be hard not to!). People seem to like Corin's dry and dark humour, despite the fact that it is set in an undersea city and therefore sweeping vistas are out. It is written to be claustrophobic-scifi-noir.
3. BristolCon
This was great. The chance to meet up with other authors and most importantly a group from the Treehouse. They even brought me a t-shirt and some bookmarks. It was a great day and night. The workshop on combat was interesting (and now I need to change a bit in the WiP), but the chats and fun all the way to the small hours was brilliant.
4. WiP
Back from BristolCon and with Corin 2 out of the door, it was time to start something new. I had an idea and started writing. At present my "A-Team meets Warcraft" currently sits as 60,000 words and at a major plot point. It needs re-writing and re-drafting before I carry on.
5. Corin #3
And while that book marinades away, it is on with Corin #3. Ten chapters in and growing. Need to do a little plotting to draw all my ideas together though this will, as always, consist of a few turning/key points just to give a scaffold to work around.
6. SFBO #2
This got underway again this year and without a book from me in the running. Instead I am reading and reviewing. I don't think you can underestimate the learning you can do this way. I got to read 30 books, the first three chapters, and see what works and what doesn't (for me). Subjectivity is so vital in books and art. What I like, others may not and vice versa . However, there are some key things to realise when submitting your book to a competition like this and the most important one; make it interesting from the start and keep that up!
Only one book out of the thirty was unreadable, with tenses sloshed everywhere like a drunk carrying three pints back to his table (Corin would never spill beer), and the rest were a selection of OK to Excellent. It really does bode well for self-pub books.
This year...
Get those two books finished.
Help Fantasy-Faction get the Anthology done and Conventions running.
Win lottery (any week is fine).